Dan AulbachColumbus Dispatch
Oct. 1, 2026, 4:36 a.m. ET
The Blue Jackets are set to take on the Buffalo Sabres in a home game Oct. 1 to open the season, giving Jackets fans a first look at the team’s revamped lineup.
Columbus made a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs before the opening-night roster submission deadline on Sept. 28. The Blue Jackets sent two staples of their roster, forward Kirill Marchenko and goalie Elvis Merzļikins, to the Maple Leafs, along with forward Miles Wood, for forward Matthew Knies, defenseman Emil Andrae, forward Steven Lorentz and a second-round pick.
Marchenko was traded 10 days after media day, when he avoided questions about his future. Multiple reports over the summer indicated that Marchenko was unlikely to sign a long-term deal with the Blue Jackets.
After being traded, Marchenko signed a six-year, $75 million contract extension with Toronto.
Headlining the Blue Jackets’ return is Knies, a power forward listed at 6 feet 2 and 232 pounds. He will play in a top-six spot in the rotation and averaged 18:48 in ice time last season, scoring 23 goals with 43 assists.
Knies has played three full NHL seasons, posting 67 goals, 93 assists and 160 points in 240 games.
The trade comes after the Blue Jackets signed star center Adam Fantilli to a six-year, $82.5 million contract to make him the highest-paid player in franchise history.
With roster loose ends tied up, fans can now look forward to watching the Blue Jackets begin their season.
Find out broadcast information for the Blue Jackets’ first game below.
When do the Columbus Blue Jackets play their 2026 season opener against the Buffalo Sabres?
The Blue Jackets host the Buffalo Sabres on Oct. 1 at 7 p.m.
Where to watch Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Buffalo Sabres season opener
- Date: Oct. 1
- Time: 7 p.m.
- TV: Blue Jackets Hockey Network (Spectrum TV)
- Streaming: Fubo, Amazon Prime Video
Along with plenty of roster changes, the Blue Jackets have also switched broadcasts for the 2026-27 season. Now games will be shown on Blue Jackets Hockey Network, an in-house broadcast produced by the NHL. The network will carry all of the Blue Jackets games that are not already on a national broadcast.
Blue Jackets Hockey Network has a TV partnership with Spectrum TV and Fubo. Accessing the network on Spectrum requires a Stream TV Pro, TV VIP or Select package.
Fubo, a live TV subscription service, costs $88.99 per month for the base pro plan, but also offers a deal including a five-day free trial and $25 off the subscription cost for the first month. Each subscription includes a disclaimer that says “additional regional sports fee may apply.” Those vary from $3.99 to $16.99.
Blue Jackets Hockey Network also has a streaming deal with Prime Video. The subscription costs $19.99 per month or $99.99 annually. Fans must have an Amazon account to access the service, and the subscription requires the additional fee, regardless of whether they have a free Amazon account or an Amazon Prime membership.
Though fans may have received an error message when attempting to sign up for the Amazon membership on Sept. 30, Amazon identified the issue and resolved it, according to a Blue Jackets representative.
As of now, the Blue Jackets have two games that will be featured on national broadcasts – a Nov. 10 game against the Panthers on ESPN+/Hulu/Disney+ and an April 8 faceoff with Philadelphia on TNT/truTV. That means the other 82 games will be available to access on the Blue Jackets Hockey Network.
Negotiations are ongoing to add additional cable and satellite providers, according to a Blue Jackets press release.
